Based on Kilauea’s past history of eruptions in the Lower East Rift Zone, if the ongoing lava flow maintains its current high-volume groove, it could take months or even years to wind down.
This week, spewing lava, which has destroyed some 720 homes and created more than 800 acres of new land edging Kapoho Bay, pushed past the 90-day mark, breaking the zone’s previous flow record. In 1955, a less vigorous eruption continued for 88 days.
Scientists cross-checking the volcano’s pulse with historical data remain uncertain about the duration of the current eruption. But when the flow and accompanying earthquakes finally settle down, a massive cleanup will start in the area of Hawaii island’s premier visitor attraction. Rattled roadways, structures and other infrastructure will need expensive repairs.
The state has already chipped in $12 million for the county’s emergency response, as police, firefighters and others assist evacuated-
area residents and tend to eruption-related safety concerns. More help will be needed. Legislators should weigh options for long-term relief — perhaps a tweaking of the transient accommodation tax would help.
From a tourism perspective, the economic damage already is quickly adding up.
Before the eruption began in early May, Hawaii island was “leading the pack” statewide in terms of growth in tourism, according to the Hawaii Visitors and Convention Bureau. That’s impressive, given that for six years running Hawaii has been topping visitor arrival and spending records.
A 5 percent drop in arrivals in June is rightly prompting state tourism officials to redouble Hawaii island marketing, spotlighting such accessible attractions as its inviting beaches and Hawaii Volcanoes National Park’s still-open Kahuku Unit.
Last week, the Hawaii Tourism Authority decided to pump another $1.2 million into marketing to counter the impact of the Kilauea eruption. In June, the state agency allocated a $500,000 emergency marketing infusion. This focus may help blunt the hit to tourism while government officials and others continue to size up potential land sites for lava viewing. So far, due to public safety concerns, the only way to view the fiery show is by aircraft or boat.
With land-based viewing in place, tourism would pick up. About two-thirds of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park is closed due to damaging earthquakes, corrosive volcanic ash and explosions from Halemaumau, the summit crater.
The crater, which has always attracted the most drive-in visitors, is continuing to “slump,” with parts of its rim and walls sloughing off. The result, scientists say, is a doubling of diameter and a tripling of depth since mid-May.
Hawaii Volcanoes spokeswoman Jessica Ferracane said the partial closure is “quite different than anything we’ve seen in our long history as stewards of the land.”
It is a long history: The park opened 102 years ago this week.
“We can’t see an earthquake coming,” Ferracane said. “And these earthquakes have quite literally left much of the park in pieces.” Past eruptions, which touched off less earth-shaking, allowed most of the park to remain open.
Hawaii Volcanoes ranks among the most visited parks nationwide. In 2017, it crossed the 2 million mark for recreation visitors for the first time, with spending in on-
island communities totaling an estimated $166 million, according to a National Park Service economic impact report. That breaks down to $455,000 a day.
With much of the park closed for 83 days now, that adds up to a loss of about $37 million.
However Ferracane points out that “estimating the overall total change in visitation and spending impacts to the island associated with the eruption is beyond the scope” of such analysis.
This pre-eruption arithmetic is limited to short-term spending — not long-term economic ripples, such as those affecting jobs and business viability. Even through the volcanic haze, it’s clear that Hawaii County will need financial support for some time.
